ultimate namibian safari for the zell group
TRANSCRIPT
2601 East Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 600 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33306 U.S.A
Tel: 800·882·9453 Tel: 954·491·8877 Fax: 954·491·9060
email: [email protected] www.AfricanAdventure.com
ULTIMATE NAMIBIAN SAFARI
FOR
THE ZELL GROUP
Safari to Namib Naukluft/Swakopmund/Damaraland/Etosha/Okonjima
The ‘Ultimate Namibian Safari’ stands apart as it includes time in the world famous Namib
Naukluft Park.
Climb the world’s highest free-standing sand dunes.
Explore the game-rich areas of Etosha National Park and Onguma Game Reserve.
Visit the world renowned AfriCat Foundation and learn more about conservation initiatives
involving Africa’s large cats.
* AAC includes a complimentary night in Johannesburg (a value of $125.00 per person)
UNIQUE POINTS ON THE TRIP
• Travel with some of Namibia’s most reputable and well-known naturalist guides.
• Climb some of the world’s highest free-standing sand dunes.
• Sea kayak with seals and dolphins on the Skeleton Coast (option motor boat).
• Track for desert-adapted elephants.
• Explore 2 very different parts of the Etosha National Park by spending time on both the Ongava and
Onguma Private Game Reserves.
• Sleep in the tree tops overlooking one of the most productive waterholes on the Onguma Private
Game Reserve.
• End your safari at the world renowned Big Cat Research Center run by the AfriCat Foundation.
ITINERARY SUMMARY
August 2016 Destination Accommodation
20+21 Fly USA – Johannesburg City Lodge Hotel
22 Fly Johannesburg – Windhoek
Drive to Sossusvlei
Namib Naukluft Lodge – Soft Camp
23 Sunrise visit to Sossusvlei Namib Naukluft Lodge – Soft Camp
24 Drive to Swakopmund Hansa Hotel
25 Living Desert Tour Hansa Hotel
26 Drive to Damaraland
PM guided walk
Doro Nawas Camp
27 Desert elephant game activity
Continue to Western Etosha
Hobatere Lodge
28 Western Etosha game drive
Continue to Southern Etosha
Safari Etosha Lodge
29 Full day game drive - Southern Etosha
Continue to Eastern Etosha
Mokuti Lodge
30 Full day game drive – Eastern Etosha
Mokuti Lodge
31 Drive to AfriCat Foundation visit
PM to Windhoek
Hilton Hotel
01 Fly Windhoek – Johannesburg - USA
02 Arrive USA
February 3, 2016
ITINERARY
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
20 Aug (Sat) MIAMI/ATLANTA/JOHANNESBURG
Depart on your international overnight flight to Johannesburg.
21 Aug (Sun) JOHANNESBURG
Arrive in Johannesburg. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Based at Africa’s busiest airport, City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport has 303 rooms
and provides travelers with “home away from home” accommodation that is ideal for short layovers that
require immediate access to the airport. The hotel has a fitness room as well as a deck with a pool and a
large commercial area with a coffee shop.
Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport (B) – Standard Room
22 Aug (Sun) JOHANNESBURG/WINDHOEK/SOSSUSVLEI
Early this morning you will take the hotel shuttle to the airport and connect with your scheduled inter-Africa
flight to Windhoek, Namibia. On arrival you will be met your guide and depart by road to your camp in
Sossusvlei.
Drive southwest through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands before heading down the Great
Escarpment into the Namib Desert below, stopping for a picnic lunch at a scenic location along the way.
You arrive at the Namib Naukluft Lodge’s Soft Camp in the mid-afternoon. The rest of the afternoon you
can relax and soak in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at camp.
The Namib Naukluft Soft Adventure Camp has been designed for the nature loving visitor, who wants to
experience the undisturbed Namib Desert, without using all the facilities and luxuries of a lodge. It has
predominantly been used by overland lovers and groups and is located in the outcrops of the granite hill.
Each of the 15 chalet-units has been individually placed in order to keep the open view onto the plains of the
savannah. All chalets are equipped with a water-cooler system and air-ventilations. Shaded space in front of
the bungalows enables you to enjoy your view during the early morning hours or during sunset.
The well maintained walkways will lead to the centrally located main building. The main building is based
on top of the hill. You are invited to make use of this area during the course of the day. The bar offers cold
beverages and the light wind offers a nice cool breeze during the heat of the day. It is also the dining area
where dinner is a special event. A pool is right on site, nestled in the rocks. It offers you the desired
refreshment after an adventurous day!
Accommodation: Namib Naukluft Soft Adventure Camp (Full Board)
23 Aug (Tue) SOSSUSVLEI
Early morning excursion to the Namib Naukluft National Park. Arriving at sunrise allows you to capture the
dunes in the best light. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world.
Optional Balloon Safari (Extra cost - available upon request):
Adding an exhilarating dimension to a Namib Desert excursion, is a trip in a hot air balloon - the oldest
form of aviation known to man. This is the best possible way to experience the breathtaking beauty of the
Namib Desert and to marvel at its geological diversity. Drifting high above the Namib, this desert viewing
from the sky reveals a majestic panorama of contoured dunes and stark desert plains, and is celebrated at
the landing site with the traditional balloonists' champagne breakfast. The flight departs every morning at
sunrise - weather permitting
Once you have explored Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and surrounding dune fields, enjoy a picnic brunch in the
shade of a camel thorn tree. You then return to your lodge in the early afternoon in time for a late lunch,
with the option to visit Sesriem Canyon afterwards (if it was not visited the day before). The rest of the
afternoon is at your leisure.
Accommodation: Namib Naukluft Soft Adventure Camp (Full Board)
24 Aug (Wed) SOSSUSVLEI/SWAKOPMUND
Depart with your guide and continue on to Swakopmund, which is charming with its distinctive
continental air and historic buildings. There will be time to explore the town with its craft shops and
cafes. Arrive in time to explore the town before enjoying a group dinner at a popular seafood restaurant.
Optional Scenic Skeleton Coast Charter Flight (Extra cost):
For an optional extra, you can book a scheduled scenic flight to Swakopmund. Your guides will continue
by road and meet up with you later that day in Swakopmund. The flight takes you north over the famous
Sossusvlei dunes and the great Namib Sea Sand (declared a natural World Heritage Site) towards to coast,
where (weather dependent) you will see deserted mines, shipwrecks and seal colonies on the way up
towards Sandwich Harbor and the port of Walvis Bay. The flight is about 1½ hours long and you arrive in
time to enjoy the can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air.
Swakopmund was founded in 1892 by German settlers and is highlighted by traditional colonial
architecture. Visitors enjoy palm-lined streets, seaside promenades, a vast array of restaurants and cafes
and nice beaches. The town is the perfect base for adrenaline activities such as sandboarding, quad biking
and deep sea fishing.
The historic Hansa Hotel, set in the charming town of Swakopmund, was built in 1905, and today its
classical architecture forms an integral part of the city center. The Hansa is famous for its hospitality and
friendly service. Tastefully decorated, suites and rooms offer under-carpet heating and multi-channel
television. The fully air-conditioned Hansa Restaurant has a fine reputation for culinary delights of fresh
fish and traditional game dishes. Guests can stroll to the beach, enjoy golf at a nearby course, tennis,
horse and camel riding and the natural attractions of the dramatic desert.
Accommodation: Hansa Hotel (B.L.D)
25 Aug (Thu) SWAKOPMUND
After an early breakfast a local guide will meet you at your hotel for a tour in the desert surrounding the
central coastal area.
The Living Desert tour concentrates on exploring the local dune belt between Walvis Bay and
Swakopmund. Special care is taken not to damage the gravel plains and cause unnecessary damage to the
dune eco system. Your guide will stop continuously to look for tracks (known locally as reading the
bushman newspaper), to determine which animals were active the previous night and wherever possible
will try to catch some of them to show you. Great care is taken in sharing knowledge with you on each
desert animal and plant, including emphasis on special adaptations and perfect design used for survival in
the desert.
After your tour you will be dropped off back at your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.
Accommodation: Hansa Hotel (B.L.D)
26 Aug (Fri) SWAKOPMUND/DAMARALAND
Depart this morning and continue northeast to Damaraland. Pass Namibia’s highest mountain, the
Brandberg which peaks at 2,573 m above sea level, and perhaps spot some game and absorb the vastness of
the scenery along the way.
Wildlife is not concentrated and the natural laws of food and water dictate the movements of the rare desert
elephant and black rhino, gemsbok, kudu, and springbok. Early morning mists, generated by the clash
between the icy Atlantic Ocean and the warm desert air of the Skeleton Coast, drift inland along the stark
canyon, providing sustenance to the flora and fauna of the region. Rare succulent plants somehow manage
to eke out an existence in this harsh countryside.
Doro Nawas is a camp built on a rugged, rocky knoll in the middle of a plain adjacent to the Aba-Huab
River within the Doro Nawas Conservancy in Namibia’s central Damaraland region. Vistas from the
camp and its 16 en suite thatched units stretch out south towards the sandstone cliffs and rock engravings
of Twyfelfontein, west across the grass plains, and north towards the Etendeka Mountains. The
development of this camp is based on community ecotourism.
Activities in the vast uninterrupted space of Doro Nawas revolve around game and bird viewing and visits
to the proposed world heritage site of Twyfelfontein – scene of some 2,000 rock engravings by long
vanished San people. Game such as springbok, oryx and ostrich are found on the plains, while species
such as Hartmann’s mountain zebra frequent the higher mountain slopes. Desert-adapted black rhino are
found in the most remote areas and elephant can be glimpsed along the tree-lined reaches of the Aba-
Huab and Huab Rivers. This is also a good area for spotting endemic Namibian bird species such as
Rüppel’s korhaan, Monteiro’s hornbill and Benguela long-billed lark.
Accommodation: Doro Nawas (Full Board)
27 Aug (Sat) DAMARALAND/HOBATERE – WESTERN ETOSHA
Early breakfast and then depart with your guide on an exciting 4-wheel excursion along the Aba Huab and
Huab River valleys searching for desert adapted elephant.
Damaraland is home to a variety of desert adapted wildlife and hidden desert treasures. You will normally
take a picnic lunch so that you can stop off and eat it in the shade of a large Ana tree and enjoy the unique
ambience of the area – hopefully while watching a herd of elephants browsing nearby. From here you set off
on your journey to the remote Damaraland area near the western gate of the Etosha National Park. Arrive in
time to enjoy a dip in the pool (though August can be a bit too cold for that) and dinner.
Hobatere Lodge is strategically located 65 km north of Kamanjab on the western border of the Etosha
National Park. The lodge is situated in a concession area of 8,808 ha which is home to a wide selection of
game, including elephant, giraffe, eland, and Hartmann's zebra. Hobatere offers visitors the opportunity to
experience game drives in open vehicles and nature walks with experienced and knowledgeable rangers.
Early morning and night drives are part of the activities on offer, where many nocturnal animals, such as
aardvark, cape fox, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, genet and many more can be encountered. The lodge belongs
to the #Khoadi/Hoas Conservancy, and one of the primary objectives of the lodge is to increase the benefits
to the local community, reducing human wildlife conflict and also conservation of the area.
Accommodation: Hobatere Lodge (Full Board)
28 Aug (Sun) HOBATERE/CENTRAL ETOSHA
After breakfast you travel via The western part of Etosha National Park. This region has only been recently
opened to the general public and you thus have another day of enjoying wildlife sightings in unique location
of Etosha.
Your game-viewing adventures consist of traveling through the breadth of the Etosha National Park,
stopping at selected waterholes to observe the game gathered there along the way, enjoying lunch at one of
the rest camps inside the park, and then leaving the park through the southern Andersson Gate. Arrive at
your camp in the afternoon to enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure (or stay inside the park as long as
you want, as long as you exit the park by sunset).
Accommodation: Safari Etosha Lodge(Full Board)
29 Aug (Mon) SOUTHERN ETOSHA
Today is spent on an extended game drive from the side of southern Etosha National Park to the eastern
boundary. You make your way across the park, having a picnic lunch en-route at one of the state owned
resorts. The drive today can take you most of the day, depending on how much time is spent game viewing
at the different waterholes along the way and arriving late afternoon at the Mokuti Lodge in time for check
in and dinner.
Etosha is Namibia's premier game viewing destination. It is one of Africa's largest game parks being nearly
the size of Switzerland. Large herds of plains game concentrate around the waterholes in the dry season and
provide exciting game viewing. Species that can be seen year round include elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah,
giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, springbok, oryx, kudu and the damara dik-dik.
Etosha National Park covers over 13,700 square miles and is one of the finest parks in Africa. The heart of
the park is the Etosha Salt Pan - an enormous shallow depression over 60 miles across - which has
numerous perennial springs around its circumference.
The Mokuti Lodge is located at the entrance gate to Etosha. The lodge offers 90 double/twin rooms,
eight luxury chalets and eight family units. Each of the chalets, set under cool thatch, is equipped with en
suite bathroom, air- conditioning and ceiling fan, telephone, fridge, hairdryer, safety deposit facilities,
electric shaver plug (220 volts) and satellite TV with various channels.
Accommodation: Mokuti Lodge (Full Board)
30 Aug (Tue) EASTERN ETOSHA
Today is available for a full day of exciting game viewing within the eastern section of Etosha National
Park. After discussion with your guide you can either opt to go into the park in the morning and the
afternoon and return to the Camp for lunch and an early afternoon rest; or you can head back west across to
spend more time in the area around Halali; or you can head north past Fischer’s Pan and up into the Andoni
Plains if you prefer. Either way, you will return to the comforts of Mokuti Lodge before sunset.
Accommodation: Mokuti Lodge (Full Board)
31 Aug (Wed) EASTERN ETOSHA/OKONJIMA/WINDHOEK
Your early departure will take you south from Onguma Tree Top via Tsumeb, Otavi and Otjiwarongo to
reach Okonjima’s AfriCat Day Centre, a wonderful highlight with which to conclude your safari.
Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary which focuses on the research and
rehabilitation of Africa's big cats, especially injured or captured leopard and cheetah. You arrive in time for
lunch before embarking on an exciting and informative game drive and tour of the center. Here you will
learn about the function and vision of the AfriCat Foundation and will also get to meet some of the
Foundation’s special carnivore ambassadors.
After the excursion and freshening up, the journey continues further south to arrive back in Windhoek in the
late afternoon, just as the sun is setting. Upon your arrival in Windhoek you will be transferred to the Hilton
Hotel in Windhoek.
Tonight you’ll be taken out for dinner at the famous Joe’s Beerhouse (pay direct).
Accommodation: Hilton Hotel (B.L.)
01 Sep (Thu) WINDHOEK/JOHANNESBURG/ATLANTA
Transfer to airport for departing international flight.
02 Sep (Fri) ATLANTA/MIAMI
Arrive in the US.
WELCOME HOME!
2016 LAND ARRANGEMENTS:
12-14 people on departure $ 3,095.00 per person sharing
15-16 people on departure $ 3,050.00 per person sharing
17-18 people on departure $ 3,250.00 per person sharing
Single Supplement $ 425.00
Optional Surcharges
Balloon Safari in Sossusvlei $ 425.00 per person
Scenic Charter Flight: Sossusvlei/Swakopmund Details in Notes below
~ AAC Value added bonus – complimentary hotel night in Johannesburg ~
AIR ARRANGEMENTS (subject to change until ticketed):
INTERNATIONAL: from $1,595.00 per person**
New York/Johannesburg/New York - Please call for add-on fares from your departure city
INTER-AFRICA: from $425.00 per person** Johannesburg/Windhoek/Johannesburg
Departure Arrival
Airline/Flight City Pair Date Time Date Time
Delta Airlines 64T Miami / Atlanta 19AUG 200P 19AUG 413P
Delta Airlines 200T Atlanta / Johannesburg 19AUG 812P 20AUG 550P
South African 70Y Johannesburg /
Windhoek
21AUG 1130A 21AUG 1225P
South African 75Y Windhoek /
Johannesburg
01SEP 1115A 02SEP 200P
Delta Airlines 201T Johannesburg / Atlanta 01SEP 750P 03SEP 600A
Delta Airlines 566T Atlanta / Miami 02SEP 900A 03SEP 1050A
** The air arrangements are based on a published air fare that is subject to change until paid for and
issued. Full payment, instant purchase is required to secure the flights and there will be penalties for any
changes made thereafter.
LAND COSTS INCLUDE: - Accommodations (including 2 nights hotel in Johannesburg and Windhoek)
- All meals and game activities on safari (Full Board)
- Meals as stated breakfast (B), Lunch (L) and Dinner (D)
- All road transfers
- Park and guiding fees
- Mineral water on board safari vehicle
- Complimentary night and transfer in Johannesburg
NOT INCLUDED: - Tips to staff and guides
- Drinks and Laundry
- Other meals not included in the itinerary
- Optional Ballooning safari at Sossusvlei (pricing available upon request)
- Extra meals in Windhoek
- Airport departure taxes
- Scheduled air fares
- Travel insurance
NOTES:
1. Program costing based on a group size of 12-18 travelers. Pricing subject to change if group size changes.
2. Program is based on 8x Double/Twin sharing rooms and 2x Single Rooms
Charter Flight Surcharge Summary
Sesriem/Swakopmund for 2 guests $625.00 per person
Sesriem/Swakopmund for 3,6 or 9 guests $525.00 per person
Sesriem/Swakopmund for 4,8 or 12 guests $450.00 per person